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Its nice to be able to get out on a nice day and play some tennis. Tennis is a great sport because it gets your heart rate up and also helps to keep you in shape.
A
Ace- A good serve that is unreturnable and not touched.
Ad court- The side of the court in which the second point of each game begins, also called the left court or the backhand court.
Advantage- The game point following deuce. If a player wins the "advantage" point, he or she wins the game.
Alley- The area on each side of the singles court that enlarges the surface area for doubles play.
All-rounder- A player with the ability to play well both offensively and defensively.
Approach shot- A shot used from inside the baseline to enable a player at or near the baseline to attain position at the net.
Australian doubles formation- A serving formation in doubles wherein the server and server's partner are initially positioned on the same side of the court.
Australian grip - A grip midway between the Eastern and continental, so named because it was developed in Australia to facilitate serve-and-volley play on grass.
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B
Backcourt- The area between the baseline and service line.
Backhand- For a right-hander, the stroke played on the left side of the body; the reverse for a left-hander.
Backspin or underspin- The reverse or backward rotation of the ball in flight.
Back swing- The initial portion of the swing, so called because it involves bringing the racket back before swinging it forward; it can be straight-back or loop.
Ball toss- The action of tossing the ball into the air with the non-racket arm when initiating the serve.
Baseline- The line which demarcates the legal length of the court.
Best of three (or five)- Refers to the maximum number of sets in any match. In "best of three" matches, players need to win two of the three sets. In men's tennis, matches can be "best of five," i.e. a match finishes when a player has won three sets.
Break (of service)- Where the serving player loses the game.
Block volley- A volley produced by holding the racket firmly in the path of the oncoming ball and "blocking" it back with almost no motion.
Bye- Free passage into the second round of a tournament. Players may be given a bye if a tournament doesn't have enough players (e.g. if there are only 28 players in a tournament designed for 32, there will be 4 byes in the first round). Byes are awarded to seeded players.
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C
Centerline- Refers to both the line dividing the service boxes and the smaller hashmark that bisects the baseline.
Changeover- The time after every odd game when players change ends of the court; they have 90 seconds to make the changeover.
Chip shot- A soft dipping shot with backspin that just clears the net, forcing the net player to volley up; often employed to return serve.
Chop shot- A stroke with heavy backspin, hit with a chopping motion.
Circular back swing or loop back swing- Taking the racket back in a high, looping or circular motion.
Claycourt- A court with a surface made of crushed shale, stone or brick. It can be red or green. The French Open is played on clay.
Closed face- When the face of the racket is inclined slightly forward, tilted towards the oncoming ball.
Contact point- The place where and when the racket meets the ball.
Continental grip- A grip which is the same for forehand and backhand, so called because it was developed on the "continent" of Europe; favored by serve-and-volley Players.
Crosscourt shot- A ball hit diagonally across the court, as opposed to one hit straight down the line.
Cross slice- A shot hit with underspin, or backspin, and sidespin at the same time.
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D
Defensive lob- A high, deep lob played from a defensive position which allows the defender time to recover court position and forces the offensive player away from the net: almost always hit with underspin.
Deuce- The score in a game where both players have forty points.
Deuce court- The side of the court in which the first point of each game begins, also called the right court or the forehand court.
Dink shot- A soft dipping shot that just clears the net; used often in doubles, especially on return of serve.
Double-fault- Failing to place either of two serves in play.
Drag volley- A volley hit with the racket face slightly Open, producing some backspin; used for control.
Drive volley or swing volley- Playing the ball in the air with a longer swing than the normal short volley movement.
Dropshot- A delicate shot that barely clears the net and falls short in the opponent's court.
Drop volley- Same as the dropshot, but hit off a volley, usually from a position close to the net.
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E
Eastern grip- A strong groundstroking grip, so called because it was developed in the eastern United States, that employs separate hand positions for forehand and backhand.
Exhibition matches- Matches arranged outside official competitions as a form of public entertainment. Those matches are not sanctioned by the Tours.
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F
Fast courts- Court surfaces, such as wood and grass, that allow the ball to bounce faster and lower than others.
Flat back swing- Taking the racket straight back in preparation for the swing, as opposed to a loop or circular back swing.
Flat face- When the strings of the racket are perpendicular to the ground and the racket meets the ball squarely, with little spin.
Flat serve- A serve hit with little or no spin, usually it is hit with great speed and power.
Flat shot- Any shot hit with little or no spin; usually it is hit with great speed and power.
Follow-through- The finishing motion of the swing after the ball has been hit.
Foot fault- An error occurring when a player steps onto or over the baseline, sideline or the center mark when serving. Foot faults also occur if the player fails to serve from a static position.
Footwork- A player's technique for moving most economically to the ideal position to play a stroke. Techniques include tango, side-step and cross-step.
Forcing shot- Any shot that forces one's opponent into a defensive position.
Forehand- For a right-hander, the stroke played on the right side of the body; opposite for a left-hander.
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G
Game- Part of a set. Every set consists of at least six games.
Groundstroke- Hitting the ball after it has bounced, usually from the area of the baseline.
Groundstroke slice- A groundstroke hit with an open-faced racket producing backspin or underspin.
Gut- A responsive string, made from animal intestines, used to string rackets.
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H
Halfcourt- The area of the court midway between the baseline and net, also called mid-court.
Half-volley- Playing the ball just after it bounces with a very low, short stroke.
Hard or composition courts- A court surface that is hard to the touch and on the feet.
Hardcourt- A tennis court whose surface is made out of asphalt, concrete or a similar material. The U.S. and Australian Opens are played on hardcourts.
Head- The area of the racket containing the strings.
Hitting on the rise- Playing the ball before it has reached the peak of its bounce. Also known as "taking the ball early."
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K
Kick serve- A serve with heavy spin, causing it to change direction or bounce unexpectedly when it lands in the service court. Also known as a twist serve.
Kill- To "put the ball" away and end the point.
Knockout competition- A tournament whereby players are eliminated when they lose a match. Most events are played with this format, except for the Masters, the Hopman Cup, the Davis Cup, or the Fed Cup...
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L
Let- An invalid point which has to be replayed. Occurs when a serve touches the net but still lands in the correct service court.
Line judge- Line judges have the task of deciding whether a ball has landed in the court or outside. Their decisions can only be overruled by the umpire.
Lob- A high-arcing shot, usually hit from behind the baseline to regain position.
Longline- A stroke played straight down the court, either along or adjacent to one of the sidelines.
Love- Zero in tennis language. Love-thirty is 0-30.
Lucky Loser- In some knockout tournaments, one defeat does not automatically result in elimination. Beaten players have the chance to play again, if, for instance a player withdrew. These players are known as "lucky losers."
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M
Mid-court- The area around the service lines, halfway between the net and the baseline.
Mini-break- When the server loses the point during a tie-break, this is referred to as a mini-break.
Mixed doubles- A match involving two teams, each team consisting of one male and one female.
Moon ball- A very high lob mixed into a baseline exchange, primarily used to change the tempo.
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N
Net or Let- The call from the net-cord judge when a serve touches the top of the net.
Net player- In doubles, the partner of the server when he or she takes a normal doubles position at the net.
Net rusher- A player who aggressively moves forward to a position at the net.
"No-man's" land- The area between the baseline and the service line.
Not up- The call from the umpire when a ball, having bounced twice, is dead.
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O
Offensive lob- A lob played from an intermediate or offensive position, usually hit with a lower trajectory than the defensive lob, and intended to win the point; often hit with topspin.
Open face- When the face of the racket is tilted away from the oncoming ball, or "open" to the ball, as opposed to "closed."
Open stance- Any hitting stance in which the back foot is closer to the path of the ball than the front foot.
Overhead smash- A stroke played above the head with a service-type action, usually from near the net and in response to a lob.
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P
Passing shot- A groundstroke that passes a net player on either side.
Penalty points- Points deducted for unsporting behavior.
Placement- Placing a shot so that it cannot be returned.
Punch volley- A volley marked by a very short "punching" movement of the racket.
Putaway volley- A volley hit beyond the opponent's reach.
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Q
Qualifying competition- Tournament giving low-ranked players the opportunity to qualify for the main draw.
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R
Rally- Play exchange between two or more players.
Ready position- A preparation for any shot; weight slightly forward, knees slightly bent, racket up and in front of the body.
Run-around forehand- A forehand hit from the backhand side, i.e., a player runs to his or her backhand side in order to hit a forehand instead of a backhand.
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S
Second serve- When serving, players have two chances to hit the ball in the opponent's service court. If the first attempt fails, they receive a "second serve."
Seeding- A graded list of the best players entering a tournament. The best players are normally "seeded" before a tournament begins. This prevents these players from being drawn against each other - and knocking each other out - during the early rounds of the competition.
Semicontinental- A combination of the forehand and backhand grips. This grip can be used for most shots, but particularly for volleys, serves and smashes.
Semi-Western grip- A grip midway between the Western and Eastern grips.
Serve or service- Every point begins with a serve. From a position behind the baseline, the server has to hit the ball diagonally over the net into the opponent's service court. Players get two attempts to serve the ball correctly in each point. In the first point of any game or set, the serve is played from the right-hand side of the court. After this the server alternates side (from right to left and vice-versa) at the start of every new point.
Serve-and-volley- A style of play that involves rushing toward the net immediately after the serve, in order to volley the return.
Service box- The area on the other side of the net in which a serve must land in order to be legal.
Service break- When one player wins a game while the other player is serving; also called "a break."
Service line- The line near mid-court that marks the boundaries of the service boxes.
Set- A unit of scoring; the first player to win six games by a margin of two (or win a special tie-break game at 6-6) wins a set.
Side slice- Moving the racket across and under the ball at impact, imparting both backspin and sidespin at the same time, also called sidespin.
Sidespin- Spin which causes the ball to rotate horizontally.
Sideways stance- Standing in neither a closed nor an open stance; also referred to as a "square" stance.
Slice- A slice shot differs from a "drive" in that the backspin applied keeps it in the air for longer, causing it to travel further before bouncing.
Slow courts- Courts that grab the ball on impact, slowing the bounce.
Snap volley- A volley hit with some wrist action at impact, used for more power.
Soft courts- Courts that give under the feet, i.e. clay.
Specialty shots- Shots other than the basic serve, volley, and groundstrokes. i.e., dropshot, approach, half-volley, lob, and overhead.
Stand in- When the receiver stands inside the baseline to return serve, intending to play the ball early.
Standard doubles formation- Positions for the serving team, server stands at baseline with partner at net; for the receiving team, receiver stands near the baseline with partner on the service line.
Stringing- The elasticity of the strings depends on the tension with which the racquet is strung. In general, gut strings are more elastic than synthetic strings, as a result of which they are generally strung more tautly. Players who like to hit the ball fast and hard usually prefer tauter strings. Touch players, by contrast, tend to prefer slightly slacker stringing.
Stop volley- A volley where the player takes the pace off the ball, so that it drops softly on the other side of the net - making it difficult or impossible for the opponent to reach.
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T
"T"- The mid-court area formed by the junction of the center service line and the service lines.
Taking the net- Moving from the baseline Position to the net position.
Tennis elbow- Pain in the elbow caused by too much play, improper technique, improper tension (see below), or any combination of the three.
Tension- The degree of tautness in the strings of a racket.
Tie breaker or Tie-break- A special game played to decide the winner of a set when the score is tied at 6-6. The winner of the tie breaker game is the first player to reach seven points, by a margin of two.
Topspin- Forward rotation of the ball in flight.
Twist serve- A service played with topspin and side spin. The ball bounces awkwardly sideways and upwards from the service court.
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U
Umpire- The umpire decides which player has won a point and also keeps the score. In major tournaments the umpire is assisted by a number of judges (e.g. line judges).
Unforced error- An error made while under no pressure from the opponent, e.g. mishitting a ball.
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V
Vertical face- When the hitting area of the racket is at a right angle to the ground or "on edge," as opposed to an open or a closed face.
Volley- Playing the ball in the air before it bounces.
Volley lob- Hitting a lob off the volley before the ball bounces.
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W
Walkover- A win without playing because one the players withdrew before the match started.
Western grip- A grip developed on hard courts in California, allowing a player to hit high-bouncing balls with power and promoting topspin.
Wildcard- Irrespective of their positions in the rankings, an organizer can invite one or more players to take part in a tournament, offering them wildcards. This gives event organizers the opportunity of offering places to promising young players, or alternatively to stars who have failed to register in time for the tournament.
Winner- A ball hit beyond the opponent's reach; an unreturnable shot.
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